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Archery Players in Bumthang Plead for Support

“Bumthang has four or five archery ranges but none is for traditional tournament. So we feel that there is not much support for the game. Even in the archery committee, there is not a single member who is a traditional archery player,” said an organiser of the traditional archery games, Tshering Tobgay.

The traditional archery players in action.(Source: http://www.bbs.bt)

Some traditional archery players in Bumthang pleaded for more support from the Bumthang Sports Association. This is following a recent move by compound archery players roofing the Wangduechhoeling Lingka, a public archery range near Chamkhar town.

Archers said that they recently had to hold the traditional archery tournament at a private archery range located a few metres away from the common archery ground at Wangduechhoeling Lingka.

Problems faced by the traditional archery players

They added that such arrangements were made since the CGI roofing over the public archery range distracted the flight of their arrows unlike the compound bow archery in which arrows are shot at a much lower height.

“Last time when we booked the archery range for the tournament, we were told not to play there as our arrows will hit the roofing and pierce a hole,” said one of the traditional archery players, Pelzang Tshering, adding that he has not seen an archery range being roofed elsewhere in the country.

His archery mates also cited similar issues.

Lack of support for traditional archery in Bumthang

“Bumthang has four or five archery ranges but none is for traditional tournament. So we feel that there is not much support for the game. Even in the archery committee, there is not a single member who is a traditional archery player,” said an organiser of the traditional archery games, Tshering Tobgay.

However, the Dzongkhag Sports Association clarified that it can only render support to those tournaments which are being organised by a Member Secretary of the association. They are welcome to use the public archery ground.

“We don’t apply any sort of restrictions as to who are allowed to play at the public range. So, even if we have a new roofing here, we will provide them with the archery range if they come forward,” said the General Secretary of the Bumthang Sports Association, Kuenzang Thinley, adding that the archers have not mentioned the venue for the tournament in their letter.

The association further justified that it cannot fund tournaments arranged by private individuals as it works according to the budget allocated by the Bhutan Olympic Council. The Bumthang Sports Association has seven member secretaries who look after seven different sports disciplines, indigenous games and sports.

“If any private individual organises tournaments, the person can keep whatever money he or she gets from it and also have to bear any loss incurred,” he added.

“But if the tournament is organised by the association, all the profits are kept in the federation and losses are compensated by donations we get from private sponsors.”

For now, it seems that a proper dialogue between the association and the archers could possibly be the best way to sort out the matter.